The blinking, red light on the answering machine indicated there was a message, but the number was not familiar. I pushed the play button and a man with a heavy accent identified himself as an “agent” from the IRS. He warned that I was in “lots of trouble” because I had not responded to his previous calls. I deleted the message, but being curious about how the scam worked, I sat in my favorite chair and dialed the number.

The “agent” answered after one ring and came on strong. “You are in lots of trouble!